Adelyn had stared at Charlotte, her expression conflicted.
"Mom ... if I back off now, it will ruin my reputation. I might not be able to step into the entertainnt industry again," she had tried to explain, her eyes already pleading —hoping, even then, to be understood.
But it didn’t take long for her to realize —
At that mont, all Charlotte cared about was Clara’s insecurity.
Adelyn’s feelings ... her disappointnt ... none of it even registered.
How was she supposed to accept that?
She had always been the treasured daughter of the Scott family —the one everyone doted on, the one they took pride in.
How could she accept that, all of a sudden, her voice no longer mattered?
Yet, faced with unmistakable bias, she had no choice but to accept it —
Cruelly.
Dismissively.
"That’s absurd," Charlotte had said. "Stepping back once won’t ruin your reputation. And don’t we have influence in the industry? You don’t need to worry. As long as you give it up now, I’ll have Liam support you later. With him backing you, success is only a matter of ti."
Adelyn had turned to Liam —
Only to be misunderstood.
Instead of standing by her, he chose to reassure her about the very future they were asking her to give up.
"Yes, you’ll always have . I’ll make sure both you and Clara get established in the industry —when Clara is ready."
He had sounded confident.
Convincing.
Anyone else would have trusted him without hesitation.
But Adelyn ...
Adelyn was different.
She was too prideful.
In the end, she nodded.
And agreed.
The mont she did, Charlotte’s face lit up with satisfaction.
She took Adelyn’s hand and patted it gently, her voice warm with approval.
"I knew you would understand. You’ve always been the sensible one ... You’ll understand our concern for Clara."
More than seven years had passed, yet those words never faded from her mory.
She rembered them —not out of resentnt, but as a reminder.
A reminder that she had already paid what she owed.
Now ...
None of it mattered.
They didn’t matter.
"Adelyn!"
Alia’s voice snapped her back from the reverie.
"Are you alright?"
Earlier, Alia had noticed sothing flicker through Adelyn’s eyes —sothing unreadable. Sothing that felt like hurt ... or perhaps sothing even colder.
But it was gone the mont Adelyn looked up at her, as if it had never existed.
Adelyn nodded, a faint smile forming on her lips.
"You seem to be getting more anxious than I am, Alia," she said lightly. "Trust , I’m not that bad. In fact, I might even turn out to be tough competition for those going for the lead role."
At that, Alia pursed her lips.
"The more you say things like that, the more nervous I get," she admitted. "Can you promise one thing?"
Adelyn looked at her, taking her word seriously for a second. "What is it?" she asked.
"When you perform later in front of the director and others ... keep your confidence in check. Don’t make it seem like you are overly sure of yourself."
"..."
Adelyn was montarily speechless.
She knew Alia didn’t fully believe her —but to think she was exaggerating ...
How could she even see her as a braggart?
If anything, she had always preferred to keep a low profile.
"What?" Alia pressed when she didn’t respond. "Promise ."
Not wanting to argue or explain, Adelyn smiled and nodded. "Alright, I promise."
Only then did Alia seem relieved. She let out a breath and nodded.
After a while, everyone was inford of their slots and timings and was asked to proceed according to the schedule.
Since the auditions were being conducted on a large —but selective —scale, they weren’t being judged by Director Rhodes alone. A panel of mbers had been assigned to evaluate different roles, while the director and producer personally oversaw the major ones.
When Alia learned about this, she relaxed considerably.
"That’s good," she said to Adelyn. "Director Rhodes is quite strict when it cos to casting. Since he won’t be there on your panel, it’s better."
Adelyn had no particular reaction.
She simply listened in silence.
Looking down at the script, she focused on understanding the requirents of the scene —her gaze steady and her concentration unmistakable.
Sensing her shift in deanor suddenly, even Alia fell quiet, giving her space to prepare. She stepped aside to call Freya and update her.
By the ti Alia returned, Adelyn was no longer reading.
She was sitting with her eyes closed, almost as if she had fallen asleep.
Alia frowned slightly.
"What’s wrong?" she asked.
Adelyn opened her eyes and shook her head.
"I completed reading the script," she replied calmly.
"You finished reading, fine. But aren’t you going to rehearse?"
"It’s fine. I can manage. The scene is simple —it doesn’t require much rehearsal. Just a bit of focus." Adelyn explained.
However, Alia didn’t quite understand.
Her gaze dropped to the script as a furrow ford between her brows.
A simple scene?
As far as she knew, auditions were ant to test an actor’s ability to handle the most challenging aspects of a character.
Why would Adelyn be given sothing so easy?
Just as suspicion began to creep into her mind —
A crew mber ca rushing over.
"Are you Ms. Adelyn Grace?" he asked.
Alia stepped forward, answering on her behalf.
"Yeah, that’s her. You can tell —I am her assistant."
The man turned to her and nodded in understanding. Then, he said, "I ca to ask her to be ready. The audition for her slot will be starting soon. Also, since Director Rhodes and Producer Polson have other commitnts later, it would be best if the auditions wrap up on ti."
Alia nodded at first —
But then paused as his words registered.
"Wait ... Director Rhodes and Producer Polson will be on her panel?"
Weren’t they supposed to oversee the lead roles?
The staff mber didn’t seem to understand her confusion.
He simply nodded. "Yes. The major roles are being personally reviewed by the director and his team."
Another layer of confusion crossed Alia’s expression.
"Major roles?" she repeated before turning to Adelyn, her expression shifting. "When did that change?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers